For cheaper brown egg layer eggs, you can buy Alexandre Kid's eggs in various places http://www.ecodairyfarms.com/Eggs.html I still remember when my older daughter tried working with a bucket calf, my younger (then 2) was scared of the chickens wandering all over the dairy. Definitely outgrown that fear
x2, very smart! Thank you. The California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab charges $1.60 for the test, and my vet will charge just for an office visit($45) but they need to know exactly what the lab needs for the test(what tubes and other stuff), which I can call back and find out. THANK YOU, I think this is doable. Will cost all my money, but it's worth it! Hopefully I can get this done.
Well...that's a no-brainer then. And you don't have to euthanize the hen...
UofA chick pic today
I introduced them to meal worms today too. Boy they were all over those! Mama shared very sweetly. I love it when the little ones play tug-of-war with them.
I candled my turkey eggs today.
Of 8, 7 are fertile & developing. Unfortunately, 1 was crushed. The last one is clear but I left it anyway.
So in 2-1/2 weeks we'll see if I get 6 standard bronze poults. Fun!
I got a phony cashiers check today for the amount of 710 bucks over a $35 hen purchase that was supposedly to be picked up from my house once the check clears. Just wondering if anyone else got one? Maybe we can compare cashier checks.
Quote: I got 5 white chicks...one with a couple of small blue spots. I tried to give them to my broody hen, but I don't think she had been broody long enough. She pecked at the eyes of one and it died. The other 4 are living with the meaties right now.
Well moving day is going ok. The buffs are liking being outside except for the big meanies. Not really that mean but definitely showing the little ones who's boss. We had them all supervised in the run for an hour or so. For the most part the biggies would bluster and peck a bit but once the little one ran off or cowered they would leave them alone. Till the little one would begin to venture around where the biggies were.
However the dels are confused by the switch. They dont know they have a new house yet. They did take to the new feeder and water container though. The dels got a bit confused when the little ones went into their old house to check things out of their own accord.
We cleaned out the coop fairly well. If they are going to pass stuff they are going to have to deal with it. They all came as chicks from the same hatchery so Im not too worried. But they are separated now. THe old coop doors are closed up and the buffs are now inside. The Dels have use of the big run and the new coop even though I may have to lock them in it tonight.
Pet rocks drain pipe feeder works great and even the short one I made holds a lot of feed. I need to add another one but they seemed to do just fine with just the one.
New nipple water bucket is a quite a bit higher off the ground than their old one but they took to it well. The buffs knew exactly what to do with the one in the little coop after having the bottles this last week.
I figure we will give it a few more days separated then supervise some more run times. Then maybe in 2 weeks we can open up the little coop and let them self combine. This should get the Dels settled into the new house and we can lock off the little coop again. Im going to add some toys and roosts and hiding places in the run as well. I think the dels are mostly bluster at this point one of the buffs challenged back one time and the del stopped in its tracks looking perplexed.
Im really beginning to wonder about Penny/Pete I got a better look at her comb and face and he/she is very different than the two everyone thinks are pullets. Lurk is also quite red but slightly behind Penny. Though on Jules younger ones some had combs almost as pronounced as Pennys is at 13 weeks.
Being in the run with them for an extended period they are beginning to be more social with me and will let me pick them up and hold them fairly easily. (Still not their favorite thing but eh)
The buffs on the other hand one of them likes to be held and is a really sweet lap chicken. The other can take it or leave it.
Ack the broody train keeps right on rolling! I have three girls who have successfully hatched clutches and two more who currently have eggs now both of my silkie girls are broody too. One of my broody girls has the eggs from papa brooder. and today I bought eggs from Chooks Chick off of ebay. She has a project she has been working on for years called Konza Prairie Rangers. She is working on them as an all around homesteading chicken...table, eggs brooding and foraging. They come in a variety of colors and I have had my eye on them for about a year and a half . Very exciting! here is the link to the listing. http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Konza-Pr...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Since the silkies are low on the PO I have to figure out what to do about the other girls knocking them off their nests I guess what I need is two dog crates. Hope to get them settled in this weekend. The eggs should be here Wednesday.
I love broody hens, especially when I've specialty eggs to hatch. They do all the work. I usually move them to a large dog crate or one of my Rabbit type hutches and give them fake eggs to sit on to make sure they will settle. I had two hens recently go "unbroody" after I moved them. Once they settle, I still let them sit on the fake eggs anther day, before putting the real deal under them.
I just had all 3 of my English Medium Chocolate Orps go broody at once. Two were in one nest and one in the other, they kept rolling the eggs (stealing them) and putting them under each other.
I ended up getting one of those IKEA toy boxes that you assemble, but they are only like 14 bucks - cheap compared to the nest boxes at the feedstore. Turned it on it's side. Gave them 10 Eggs I bought from ebay and they hatched 7 chicks, now their co-parenting the chicks--they all sleep huddled together with the chicks under them. I'm actually surprised that many hatched, the way they were rolling the eggs back and forth, too cute! lol Now Rowdy my Rooster is helping out too.
I will try to load pictures to share, if I can figure it out. It is REALLY cute! My chocolates are in a pen of their own. And they get to free range a few hours in the AM before I let the others out. Its soooo cute seeing the 3 hens, plus my Roo and the chicks together. I just love them. I was able to hatch some chicks from them under one of my Rhodebars that went broody. Chocolate chicks are soooooooo cute (proud mama talkn) hahahaaa
(proud mama talkn) hahahaaa
